Top 10 Quarterbacks in 2007

Sports Illustrated’s Peter King ranked each quarterback 1-32 based on how he felt they would perform in 2007. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and mine differs in many ways from the respected journalist. I love his Monday Morning Quarterback section, but his take on Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler is a little less… well… enthusiastic than mine. I’ll be in the wilderness of Wyoming when this post drops, but I hope you enjoy it and leave feedback with YOUR opinion.

10) Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles

KING’S RANK: 12
I agree with King in that McNabb would be listed much higher on the list if he would only stay healthy. He was leading all quarterbacks before getting injured and killing my fantasy season last year. But he’s been hurt three years running now, so it’s hard to rank him any higher. When he’s on the field, he’s one of the most feared quarterbacks in the game and can make plays all on his own.

9) Jon Kitna, Detroit Lions

KING’S RANK: 9
I think King and I may be the only people in the country who are Jon Kitna fans. I find it funny that King says he values wins above other stats, but Kitna went 3-13 as the starter last year and he’s ranked in his Top 10. I believe the Lions are going to have their first winning season in a decade this year and vie for a Wild Card spot in the NFC – shocking, almost sacrilege, but I can see it happen. The team wasn’t the most talented AND was decimated by injuries more than any other team in the league. If healthy, they can definitely compete in the watered-down NFC. Kitna will lead them to another 4,000-yard season and be one of the elite fantasy quarterbacks again this year.

8) Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals

KING’S RANK: 18
Biggest difference between King and I lies in college football’s most impressive quarterback, Matt Leinart, whom I believe will be much improved over the past year. He showed enough signs for me to rank him in the top half of quarterbacks LAST YEAR – this year he cracks the top 10. With as many weapons as he has, and an improved offensive line under Russ Grimm, look for the Cardinals to be the other surprise team to vie for a Wild Card in the NFC.

7) Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks

KING’S RANK: 6
Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks offense in general didn’t click last year. Partly due to injury, partly due to the departure of All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson, and partly due to a once-paltry and now-surging division, he didn’t perform to his 2005 level last year, and I fear we may see a drop off again. It’s bold to place him behind my 6th ranked quarterback below, and believe me, it was close – but Hasselback hasn’t shown me enough consistency to make me a believer in the Seahawks dominance in the NFC West much longer.

6) Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos

KING’S RANK: 10
I’m noticing a trend in my writing – I’ve always tried to be a voice of reason in the Broncos blogosphere when it comes to crowning Jay Cutler too early. But as the offseason winds down, I’m noticing that I’m becoming more and more sold on the sophomore myself. He has a lightning arm, great intangibles, and all the mental skills you could hope for coming from Vanderbilt. He shined last year, and with a full offseason centered around helping him succeed, I’m becoming more and more convinced that Cutler will perform at an incredible level in 2007. Broncos fans have a lot to look forward to with #6 gracing the field.

5) Marc Bulger, St. Louis Rams

KING’S RANK: 5
One of the more underrated quarterbacks in the league, Marc Bulger is the third quarterback from the NFC West to make the top 10. He has great weapons in Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Steven Jackson. He’s always breaking 4,000 yards, and it wouldn’t surprise me for a second to do it again this year.

4) Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

KING’S RANK: 3
Statistically, Drew Brees excelled nearly everybody at season’s end, but I don’t foresee the same alarming success this year. For one, the Saints won’t be sneaking into the back door of the playoffs this year. And in the NFC, it’s easy to forget that they were the second seed at 10-6 – not the most exceptional record for the conference in which they were playing. 10-6 wasn’t enough to get the Chiefs into the playoffs at all in 2005. I expect the Saints to have a solid season this year, finishing around 8-8 or 9-7 and into the playoffs, but I don’t expect the same level of explosion as teams gear to stopping them more than in the previous season.

3) Carson Palmer, Cincinnatti Bengals

KING’S RANK: 4
With a healthy offensive line, I expect this Pro Bowler to have his best year yet with the Bengals, even surpassing his impressive breakout year in 2005. Interestingly enough, my Top 3 quarterbacks all hail from the AFC.

No surprises at the top

2) Tom Brady, New England Patriots

KING’S RANK: 2
Take a 3-time Super Bowl champion, add the best coach of the past 7 years, mix in a little disgruntled playmaker looking to revitalize his career and an impressive-looking second year runningback looking to prove himself and you have the recipe for a Super Bowl (at least according to Vegas and everywhere else not in Denver, Indianapolis or San Diego). Tom Brady has all the tools he needs to succeed and will do so with flying colors, probably having the best statistical season of his storied, but still young, career.

1) Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts

KING’S RANK: 1
Surprise! Peyton “The Freaking Robot” Manning tops the list for best quarterbacks. I just want to beat him so bad… man… I can’t take another loss from the Colts this year. Our offense should be able to compete with theirs and our defense should definitely be better. BEAT THE FLIPPIN’ COLTS, BRONCOS!

So there’s my Top 10 – but I’m not done yet. For your viewing pleasure, I included a player who you may have noticed just missed the cut – I honestly couldn’t justify moving him any higher on the list. Perhaps the most overrated quarterback in the NFL, here is your “just missed” player of the week.

11) Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

KING’S RANK: 8
I’m expecting a step back from this breakout player in 2007. Philip Rivers struggled at the end of last year, and he failed to lead the team in the 4th quarter of their playoff game. For whatever insane reason, Cam Cameron stopped giving Ladainian Tomlinson the ball with an 8 point lead in the 4th. He decided he wanted to rely on Rivers and his less-than-talented receiving corps. to put the game away. Rivers didn’t have LT to hand the ball to – he had to lead the team, and he couldn’t do it. He’s still a talented player, and I expect him to do well, but I saw enough struggles at the end of last year to hesitate before crowning him as one of the elite quarterbacks in the league.

I’ll be back in full force from my vacation next week. Until then…